Solar Lattice

Measurement

Energy ratio out of range

ID
meas:energy-ratio-out-of-range
IRI
https://solarlattice.org/kb/meas/energy-ratio-out-of-range
Status
active
Also known as
Past 24h Actual vs Expected

The energy ratio compares the daily energy a device actually produced with the energy the full PV model expects from measured irradiance and temperature. Each inverter and each production meter is checked on its own. In this monitoring tool, a device passes when its energy is between 70% and 110% of expected. A ratio outside that band is out of range and points to a problem. The check is switched off during snow, so snow days should not raise this flag. The expected value is only trustworthy with a well-tuned PV model and accurate irradiance and temperature data. Before you look for a plant fault, check the model and the sensors. A slow decline in the energy ratio over several days is how soiling losses are detected. This usually needs 5 or more days of data, and soiling is not detected over spans shorter than 4 days. Monitoring dashboards may also show the ratio of actual to expected energy for the last 24 hours. A monthly site-level version, IEER, takes the ratio of measured to estimated AC energy and divides it by the ratio of measured to estimated insolation.

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Signals

Monitoring channels where this signature appears, named by SunSpec model point.

PointUnitPattern
model_103.WHW-HRdaily inverter energy outside the accepted band of model-expected energy
model_302.POAIW-PER-M2measured irradiance input to the expected-energy model

Referenced by

Data